German Published Patent Application No. 10 2004 027 009 describes a seat bench for motor vehicles having at least one seat part and at least one backrest and side cheeks arranged to the side of the seat part and/or of the backrest, the alignment of which side cheeks relative to the seat part or to the backrest is adjustable, with the alignment of the side cheeks being adjustable as a function of the number of seating places of the seat bank are occupied or are to be occupied, such that at least a part of the side cheeks is set upright relative to the seat part and/or to the backrest for the case of at least two vehicle seats being occupied, or is lowered for the case of at least three vehicle seats being occupied.
European Published Patent Application No. 1 470 950 describes a seat arrangement in a micro-compact vehicle, which seat arrangement has at least one single-seat front seat bench and at least one two-seat rear seat bench, with the front seat bench and the rear seat bench including in each case at least one base body seat part and at least one base body backrest part and a further seat arrangement which has at least one single-seat front seat bench and at least one two-seat rear seat bench, with the two-seat rear seat bench having at least two individual seats which are arranged transversely with respect to a direction of travel.
German Published Patent Application No. 31 02 845 describes an emergency seat arrangement for a vehicle having a rigid backrest which is articulatedly connected with one of its ends in the region of the vehicle base so as to be pivotable between an inactive position in which its planar back face forms a constituent part of the vehicle base, and an upright operating position. The emergency seat arrangement includes a seat which, when the backrest is situated in its inactive position, is situated, so as to be covered by the backrest, in a receiving space below the plane of the vehicle base, with a web of flexible, tear-resistant material serving to form the seat and a support for the backrest, the one end of which web is fastened to the upper end of the backrest in the operating position, and the other end of which web is fastened, in order to form the front edge of the seat, to a transversely extending bracket which is mounted on the vehicle so as to be pivotable between an inactive position, in which it is sunk into the receiving space, and a substantially upright operating position, while lateral tensioning hooks engage on the throat region of the web between the seat and the backrest.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,946 describes a seat arrangement for motor vehicles having a seat cushion which can be stored in the vehicle base and having a backrest which can be folded up to the vehicle roof.
Further folding mechanisms in the context of vehicle seats are described, for example, in German Published Patent Application No. 102 12 548, German Published Patent Application No. 195 48 400, Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2000-342378, German Published Patent Application No. 10 2004 032 247, German Published Patent Application No. 31 02 845, German Published Patent Application No. 10 2005 052 893, German Published Patent Application No. 102 52 155, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,589, German Published Patent Application No. 198 21 396 and British Published Patent Application No. 2 372 438.